It's a Long Road Up to Recovery

[Kieran Abernathy]

Kieran thought that Finn knew but was immensely glad that his friend had not said anything. He didn't want to say it out loud; did not want to be asked, in case the story came flooding out even when he did not want it to.

So he drank the whiskey as quickly as it could. After years of dedicated drinking it took quite a bit of the stuff for Kieran to get drunk normally; luckily for them, when he was sick it was much easier and when he was partway through a second glass he was watching Finn through lazydrunk, half-lidded eyes.

  

[Finn Rowe]

Finn was positively twitching by the time the table was cleared and everything was ready. He deemed Kieran sloshed enough for kitchen surgery though, truth be told, Finn didn't think he was sloshed enough to be performing kitchen surgery. As he took in the half lidded expression on his friend's face, he resolved that the wounds could not be left as is. He'd never be able to afford a visit to the hospital where Finn could get him all the tinctures and potions and healers he could need. No, this was the only way.

"Up on to the table." He directed, with a hand half-offered in case he was definitely sloshed. "On your good side, I think." Yes, him laying on his side gave Finn the best angle to work from. It also gave him the best angle to be back handed if things got tricky and Kieran started swinging. With out a helper and without tying him down completely, Finn would have to get creative. A heavy pot in hand he waited until Kieran was settled and then hooked one of the handles in his hand to dangle over the edge. "And hold this. Its important."

  

[Kieran Abernathy]

Kieran hefted himself up on the table on his good side and rested his face against his mostly-removed shirt, still nursing the whiskey even though drinking at this angle was a lot more difficult than he would have liked. He held onto the pot tightly with one hand because Finn had said so even though it was frankly ridiculously heavy.

"I'm ready," Kieran said. This was going to hurt, he was sure - maybe he should have gone to the hospital, but he really couldn't afford it, and this worked too. And besides, if he was going to think about 'should haves' there was the big and obvious one that had been dominating his psyche for days - he should have stayed the fuck out of the Forbidden Forest.

  

[Finn Rowe]

He hadn't questioned the pot which was good for two reasons; 1. He was probably drunk enough not to think about it too hard and 2. the heavy pot in his hand would probably save Finn from getting whacked on the head of Kieran started swinging. Either the weight of it would impede his swing all together or the crash on the floor would give him some kind of warning. That was the idea at least and it was decidedly better than tying his friend to his kitchen table.

Once he was settled Finn set to work as fast as he could, zeroing in on his target. When he had a free hand he kept it braced against Kieran's back. It was a gesture of reassurance as much as it was a reminder to hold still. It was simple spellwork but it wouldn't be pleasant. One well aimed spell to slice open the wound, aguamenti to flush it, and then dittany. Lots of dittany.

The dittany was still working to close the wound when Finn hurried around the table to ease the pot out of Kieran's grip. "All done." He assured as he crouched down to eye level with the table or assess how his patient had fared through the proceedure. "But you should lay there for a few minutes, still. Feeling ok? Dizzy or anything like that?"

  

[Kieran Abernathy]

The pain was excruciating even through his intoxicated, feverish haze. Kieran flinched throughout but did not thrash and relaxed visibly when finally it was over - the dittany was knitting his side back together and his arm muscles ached from holding Finn's ridiculously large pot.

He met his friend's eyes and blinked.

"I feel like I just got knifed in the side," Kieran said wryly, "I don't know if that's good or not. The dittany stings, but that's normal."

It meant, he thought, that the dittany was working. And after that maybe he could finally move on with his life.

  

[Finn Rowe]

"Technically it is a good thing because you are alive to feel it!" He replied with a grin of his own, gently clasping his upper arm. Sometimes being alive was the thinnest of silver linings but it was silver none the less. Finn refused to even think about what he would do if his friend died. Especially of something he could have prevented.

After a moment or two he felt comfortably certain that Kieran was not going to pass out and he moved to clean up the mess he'd made. Kitchen tables were really not ideal for such procedures. "It was definitely infected Key." he said, with just a hint of scolding. He wasn't sure he even wanted to tell him how bad it was. "Next time don't wait so long to come see me."

Using spell after spell, he removed all traces of the weird blood, infection, water, and dittany concoction that had washed over the table and floor. Despite having lived in the magical world for years now, he still marveled at how much simpler magic made things. With out it, cleaning up might have taken ages. "Actually. Don't have a next time. In fact, maybe avoid all sick dogs ever."

Satisfied with the clean up he moved back to the other side, offering a hand to help Kieran sit up. "Can I convince you to stay here for the night?" He asked plaintively. Somehow he suspected he would resist. "Unless you think Leeny will watch you."

  

[Kieran Abernathy]

"Mmph," Kieran said, which was a sound that likely meant agreement but he was very tired and distinctly sheepish about the whole thing. It would have been much worse had they actually talked about why he was here, but they hadn't, and even discarding that Kieran generally didn't like owing people things.

And her owed Finn an infinite number of favors, for a multitude of reasons, but especially this.

"Mmmmph. If you promise you don't mind me sleeping on your couch," Kieran said after a moment, pushing himself up from the table with a wince. He sort of just wanted to go home and pass out in his bed or curl up around his roommate, but he also didn't want to worry Finn, and ugh.

This entire thing was a fucking nightmare.

  

[Finn Rowe]

"I don't mind but you'll have to ask the couch." Finn could tell Kieran was rather against the idea and he almost felt bad for asking. He knew if he was feeling as bad as he was the first thing he'd want would be to be home. He also knew if he was as bad off as Kieran was he'd be in the hospital. Remembering that, he felt less bad about bullying him to stay over.

"To be honest though, I think it's missed you." No one ever really forgot that one time Finn brought Kieran home to sleep off his booze. It was partly because he'd ended up staying with them for weeks after but more importantly it was because he'd been their good friend ever since.

  

[Kieran Abernathy]

Kieran laughed, which of course made his ribs hurt.

"We've had good times, me and that couch," he called over his shoulder as he wandered out of their kitchen and flopped on top of it. As much as he wanted to go home - well - he had to be realistic, and he wasn't sure how high the likelihood of his making it home was.

  

[Finn Rowe]

"Good." He wasn't sure what extents he would have gone to to convince him to stay but he was glad he didn't have to find out. He dug out a clean blanket from the closet for his friend. "I'll be..." he gestured towards the bedroom doors behind him. "If you need me." He was suddenly tired and his shoulders ached more from the tension in the last hour than a full days work.

"And the whiskey is on the table if you need it." He said from his doorway with a forced chuckle. As if everything was normal. As if he hadn't just cut his friend open on his kitchen table. As if some part of his mind wasn't screaming 'WEREWOLF'.

Finn knew the other two would come home and see Kieran on the couch. Their sleeping arrangements would reflect accordingly. He could only hope Gracie would join him. Goodness knows he could use a bit of her warmth right now.